Happy tuesday everyone!

It's the ISYY smiles and complaints week! So it's yet again time to give some feedback and some acknowledgements. There's also University of Eastern Finland's sustainability days and the global Earth Hour coming up. Today there is a Coffee & Friends event with bingo and JSC (Joensuu Speakers Club) and JEIS (Joensuu's International Exchange Students) are organizing a highly interactive public speaking workshop!

There are lots of opportunities highlighted in this weeks Weekly Feed, such as applying to be a UEF student ambassador, participating to a youth forum in Sweden and a free online course on AI ethics provided by the University of Helsinki. Be sure to check the whole letter out to not miss on anything!

Have a great week everyone! 

Kind regards,

Joona Rantala | Coordinator of International Affairs, Joensuu Campus

Exception to the ISYY Joensuu office opening hours

Due to staff shortages, there will be an exception to the opening hours of the ISYY Joensuu campus office, today on Tuesday 18 March the office is closed.

In equipment loans, if the return date falls on a day when the office is closed, the loan period is automatically extended to the next day when the office is open.

Earth hour 23.3.

ISYY encourages its members to participate in the global WWF’s environmental campaign called Earth Hour! Earth Hour traditionally includes switching off lights simultaneously in different parts of the country. Switching off the lights is a symbolic gesture to show concern for the climate and environment, and to demand action from decision-makers. 

Earth Hour will be celebrated on Saturday, 22 March 2025, from 8:30 to 9:30 PM. According to polls, approximately 1.5 million Finns annually express their concern about the state of the environment by participating in Earth Hour. Hundreds of organizations across the country, from educational institutions to companies and from municipalities to organizations, also participate in the event. Join in!

Picture from WWF.

ISYY's Smile's and Complaints week is here again!

This week it is time to give some feedback and some acknowledgement once again. What deserves acknowledgement? What’s not working? Tell us during the Smiles and Complaints Week!

The springs’ Smiles and Complaints Week is held 17.3.-23.3.2025. During the Smiles and Complaints Week, you can send feedback via ISYY to the Student Union, the University, FSHS (Finnish Student Health Service), campus restaurants, or any other party involved in students' life.

Anonymous feedback can be written to Post-it notes from Monday to Friday in the Carelia, Natura and Metria lobbies in Joensuu. You can give us your feedback anonymously throughout the week by filling the electronic form online, so you can give feedback regardless of your location. All feedback is treated confidentially.

Coffee & Friends event today!

The café meets on Tuesdays at 4-6 pm at Agora café in Joensuu and at 3-5 pm at Lukema in Kuopio.

Upcoming themes in Coffee & Friends:

• 18.3. Bingo
• 25.3. Singing bowl relaxation
• 1.4. Volunteering (Guests from JoMoni)
• 8.4. Easter Crafts

Coffee & Friends event offers low-threshold hanging out after lectures and the opportunity to meet other students over coffee and a snack. All students of the University of Eastern Finland are welcome to Coffee & Friends. You can come to the café alone or with a friend. In addition, Coffee & Friends has a changing chill program. Participation in the programme is voluntary and you can come for a while or for the whole time. Participation is free of charge and does not require pre-registration. 

You can find more information and the program of Coffee & Friends on ISYY's website.

ISYY awarded recognitions at the 15th Annual Celebration! 

The 15th Annual Celebration of the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY) was held 14 March 2025 in Kuopio. At the Celebration ISYY awarded distinguished Student Union actors according to its Symbol Regulations. ISYY members have also had a change to suggest, who should receive a recognition!

This year ISYY awarded one Medal of Honour, one Golden Medal of Distinction, seven Silver Medals of Distinction and ten Medals of the Student Union. In addition to the awarded Medals the Student Union also awarded 15 Diplomas of Honour.

The Medal of Honour was awarded this year for Tapio Määttä! 

ISYY warmly congratulates all who received a recognition this year! 

The photo is from ISYY's Celebration 2024 and was taken by Klavdia Parkkonen.

ISYY Club Meetings

All club meetings (except Academic & Historical Dance Joensuu & JEIS) are held weekly in ISYY's meeting room in Haltia-building, 2nd floor (Yliopistokatu 7).

More information and a full list of ISYY's clubs in Joensuu can be found on ISYY's webpage: ISYY Clubs in Joensuu

• Magic The Gathering Guild meeting Mon 3 pm - 8 pm
• Academic & Historical Dance Joensuu Mon 6 pm - 8 pm (Educa, E200)
• Joensuu's Exchange and International Students Mon 4 pm - 6 pm (Aurora, AU206)
• LUOMIO! Literary Arts club Tue 6 pm - 8 pm 
• JOOJAKU meeting Wed 4 pm - 8 pm
• Joensuu Board Gamers meeting Thu 3 pm - 8 pm
• ISYY Chess Club meeting Fri 4 pm - 8 pm

Mobile applications for Portti54 and Tikkarinne gyms are working again

Smart Key applications for Portti54 and Tikkarinne gym work again on both Android and iOS phones. Download the latest version of the app from your app store!

PorttiSport 25.3.2025

Welcome to Portti54 gym on Tuesday 25.3.2025, when there is an open day at the gym and activities from 8am to 5:30pm. The day's more detailed schedule can be found on SYKETTÄ Instagram, Facebook and website.

Enrollment on instructed workouts via SYKETTÄ sports calendar. You can also enroll without a SYKETTÄ sticker via the sports calendar on the website. If you do not have a SYKETTÄ sticker, you must register as a user via the website.

SYKETTÄ Joensuu 10 years: InBody measurement days

SYKETTÄ will organize two InBody measurement days to celebrate the anniversary. The first measurement day will be held on Thursday 27.3.2025 at 8am-11am and 12noon-4pm at Mehtimäki TestLab project sports testing center at Joensuu Areena.

Enrollment via the sports calendar on the SYKETTÄ website. You can also enroll without a SYKETTÄ sticker. If you do not have a SYKETTÄ sticker, you must register as a user via the website in order to enroll.

Sport courses of spring: Cross-country skiing technique

When: On Tuesdays 25.2.-18.3. at 4pm-5pm
Where: Laulurinne ski tracks

Ilari Nissinen of Joensuu's Kataja ski division instructs skiing technique classes four times. Meeting in the parking lot by the Laulurinne ski track, next to Linnunlahti Camping. You must have your own equipment, but if there is a need for loan equipment, please contact Ilari in advance. More information in the class description in the sports calendar.  Enrollment via sports calendar on every class separately. You can enroll on the course with both a group exercise and a ball sports sticker.

NB! The course is intended for those who have already skied and know the basics, but it is not necessary to know the techniques beforehand. Also note that class is instructed in Finnish.

• 18.3 Skate skiing

The library is invoicing overdue and reservation fees at the end of March

We are invoicing unpaid overdue and reservation fees at the end of March. We send the bills by e-mail. You can avoid the invoicing by paying your fees in advance on UEF Primo or at Joensuu or Kuopio campus library. The minimum limit for online payment is 1 euro, a payment card is accepted on the spot. For more information, contact library@uef.fi

Hey UEF student! Are you our new UEF student ambassador?

We are looking for international student ambassadors to assist in international marketing and student
recruitment activities of the university in the academic year 2025-2026. We welcome applicants from
diverse nationalities and backgrounds, who possess an enthusiastic, motivated attitude and fluent English skills.

Ambassador tasks include i.e. attending webinars and other virtual events and other communication and marketing tasks related to the international degree programmes and participating modeling for the university brochures and advertisements. Your main responsibility includes sharing your firsthand experiences of living in Finland, discussing your studies, and providing insights into student life to potential applicants.

You will receive training for the position, and the tasks will be compensated.
The application closes 7 April 2025.

Sustainability Days in Joensuu tomorrow 19.3.2025

The event, organized for the second time, provides an opportunity to explore UEF's sustainability expertise across various disciplines and fields of study. The programme includes interesting speeches, workshops, stands and a photo exhibition. All speeches will be streamed, so online participation is possible. Part of the programme is organized in Finnish and part in English.

JSC x JEIS Public Speaking Workshop today! 

Want to boost your confidence and improv skills? Improve your speaking & leadership? Interested in networking & career growth?

JSC (Joensuu Speakers Club) and JEIS (Joensuu's International Exchange Students) are organizing a highly interactive public speaking workshop together at the University!

Joensuu Speakers Club is a new and community led initiative built for Joensuu that will facilitate weekly free of charge 90 minute in person workshops that include introductions, icebreakers, debating, storytelling, evaluations, improvisation...

Session structure: 

• Opening Presentation (10 min) – Talk on networking and JSC introduction.
• Interactive Workshop (90 min) – Public speaking, storytelling exercises, and confidence-building rounds.
• Call to Action (5-10 min) – Sign-ups for JSC and social media engagement.

Date: Tuesday, March 18th

Time: 4.15 pm - 18.15 pm

Location: Aurora Building (AU206), UEF

Global Friday

Joensuun Setlementti organises Global Friday, an international meeting place activity. At Global Friday you can get to know new people and cultures, express your own culture in the way you want or just enjoy being together.

Global Friday is a place open to everyone and free of charge, which takes place every Friday from 5 to 8pm in the Tupa space of Joensuun Setlementti. Our Tupa is located in our premises at Siltakatu 10 A 13, 5th floor (access by stairs and lift).

A Water Survey for International Students

Hi, international student living in Joensuu!

The local water supplier Joensuun Vesi is implementing a customer satisfaction survey and would like to hear your opinion of the water quality in Joensuu. Your answers will be handled anonymously and the survey will only take a few minutes.

The survey is implemented by Innolink. For more information on filling in this survey, please contact Innolink’s project manager Wilhelm Noth, wilhelm.noth@innolink.fi.

Thank you in advance for your valuable feedback!

You can take the survey through the link below.

English speaking LGBTQIA+ hangouts

Open hangout nights organized by local LGBTQIA+ rights NGO North Karelia Seta. Coffee, tea and snacks provided. Free of charge. Bring a friend! Hangouts are organised in Community space Tove, Torikatu 9 A, 2nd floor, two times a month on Mondays at 5–7 pm

Schedule for Spring 2025:

• 31.3. Let’s watch a movie!
• 14.4. Theme will be announced later
• 28.4. Theme will be announced later
• 12.5. (Pride week) Picnic 
• 26.5. Theme will be announced later

How would you act if you happened to be an outsider in a racist situation?

The Week Against Racism takes place this week. The aim of the week is to encourage people to recognise and intervene in racism. To start the week, we want to challenge the entire UEF community: you, your colleagues, students, departments and units to test how you would act if you encountered racism in your everyday life.

Test how you would act in racist situations using the "Identify and Act" navigator produced by the Finnish Red Cross. All the scenarios in the test are based on real life experiences. The test will provide you with information and guidelines for addressing racism. Even a small gesture can be a significant turning point in another person's life!

Take part in the challenge and take the test here: https://shorturl.at/27TMp

Waves for Change - Youth forum Baltic 2025

Are you interested in internationality? Are you passionate about sustainability, the Baltic sea or nature-based solutions to environmental challenges?

If you are 18-28 years old, you now have the opportunity to participate in a youth forum in Sweden from June 16 to June 19!

The Waves for Change forum will bring together young people to the Kristianstads Vattenrike biosphere reserve to learn about nature-based solutions related to the Baltic Sea and other waters. 

You don’t yet need to know what a biosphere reserve is, and you won’t have to go alone! A small group of young people from North Karelia and the Archipelago Sea in Finland will also be joining. Travel arrangements and expenses will be covered!

Applications are open until March 26! You can contact Vilma Lehtovaara for more information (vilma.lehtovaara@ely-keskus.fi, 050 380 6152)

Free Online Course on AI Ethics

The University of Helsinki offers a free online course, Ethics of AI, providing a solid introduction to the ethical aspects of artificial intelligence. The course explores what AI ethics is, how AI can be developed and used in an ethically sustainable way, and what limitations and possibilities AI has from an ethical perspective.

The course is suitable for anyone interested in the topic.

Weekly Feed is the English language newsletter of the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY). You are receiving this letter on your email because you are a member of ISYY and are studying at Joensuu campus or because you have joined the mailing list yourself. 

Weekly Feed provides you with current information on matters related to the Student Union, UEF or other organisations close to students, such as FSHS. In addition, the newsletter provides you with information on events taking place at campus or the campus city.

Weekly Feed is published on Tuesdays during the academic year, with the exception of holidays and a few other days. If you do not want to receive the newsletter anymore, you can unsubscribe the letter via the unsubscription link  located on the top of the letter. 

You will find more information on ISYY's newsletters  and data protection on ISYY's website.